The Last Marlfox
by Leo Dragoness
Summary: **CHAPTER 4 FINALLY UPLOADED!! YAY!!!!** The last surviving of her kind, a young foxmaid must make her way through life, neither one nor the other. Rating for some swearing.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Redwall and all the characters you can recognize (ie Song, Dann, Cregga) belong to Brian Jacques (wah). The plot and any characters you DON'T recognize (ie Maracia, Amber) obviously belong to me. Enjoy!  
  
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Wilce paced the door where her lady lay inside. She could hear Lantur's shallow breathing and panting, then a shriek, a loud shriek of pain. Instantly alert, Wilce glanced around nervously, then peeked into the room.  
  
A young Marlfox, Lantur was perhaps the most cunning of her siblings. "She's one of the weakest as well," Wilce thought. "She can't deal with pain." An old water rat attended to her as she screamed again.  
  
A few minutes later, the screams subsided, and Wilce risked entering the room. The old rat, whose name was Brodee, held a newborn foxcub. Wilce bowed to her superior before turning back to Brodee. "Is it male or maid?" she asked in a mutter.  
  
"It's a maid," was the gruff reply. "Tho' I dunno what the High Queen's goin' ter say when she finds out about it. Won't be too pleased, oho no."  
  
"That's why she's not going to find out about it," Wilce thought in cruel amusement, recalling the orders she had been given shortly beforehand. With a pretense of sudden remembrance, she said, "Brodee, Ullig sent fer ye- I'll take y'ter him."  
  
Brodee bowed to Lantur, who was collapsed against the bedframe, breathing shallowly, and left the room still clutching the babe, following Wilce, who led her to a dark corridor. Wilce took the babe and looked down at it. It had some markings of a Marlfox, but it didn't look completely like her mother because the father had just been a regular fox. Brodee looked around Ullig's chambers, which Wilce had led her to. The room was quite empty. Wilce shut the door as Brodee asked darkly, "Well, where is 'e then?"  
  
Wilce suddenly pulled out a dagger she had cunningly sealed behind her back and jammed it squarely into Brodee's unprotected chest. Gasping in surprise, Brodee collapsed to the floor, the last words she would ever hear ringing in her ears: "We can't risk havin' too many knowing 'bout it. Yew know too much, Brodee!"  
  
Turning on her heel, Wilce left the dying rat behind and entered Lantur's room again, saying, "I've killed 'er now. Whaddaya want me ter do wit' the body?"  
  
"Throw it to the Teeth of the Depths," Lantur hissed, still weakened from the birth she had just given.  
  
Wilce nodded. "And the babe."  
  
The Marlfox tried to sit up and failed, falling back against her bed. "Give it to me."  
  
Wilce did so. Holding the bundle gingerly, Lantur looked at her daughter and touched the tip of her nose. The babe made small growling noises in her throat, but when she opened her mouth to express this thought, no sound came out. Lantur made a sound of disgust. "It's a mute." She handed the babe back to Wilce.  
  
"What now?"  
  
Growling, Lantur answered, "You can deal with a mere babe. Throw it with Brodee's worthless carcass."  
  
Bowing again, Wilce sped off to do her mistress' bidding.  
  
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The babe had survived, miraculously. When she had been thrown into the lake, she had been held up by the body of Brodee, and had managed to float to the nearby shore. The pike had not caught up with her until then, but preferred Brodee's bloody carcass over the inanimate object.  
  
So the babe had been swept to some rushes and lay there, pale golden eyes watching, never ceasing to miss a detail. She had noticed the hedgehog cautiously sneaking up on her, but made no sound or move. The hedgehog reached her and looked. The babe looked back. She could see the hedgehog's whole body was scarred, and had a gruesome-looking wound on her right cheek that completely distorted her face. The hedgehog picked her up, muttering to herself, "'Tis only a vermin babe, but still a babe."  
  
The hedgehog carried the Marlfox babe back to her abode, where she would grow up: Unknowing of her past, but still marked as a vermin. 


	2. Thievery and Confusion (on both parts)

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.  
  
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The golden-hazel eyes shifted from left to right, then, satisfied, the young foxmaid snuck slowly forward on her belly inch by inch. Clasping the sack filled with preserved fruits to her protectively, she scurried forward silently until finally disappearing into some green foliage. Hidden by the undergrowth, she looked around one more time to make sure all was well, then, chuckling inwardly to herself, gingerly plucked a damson from the bag with two claws. Holding it delicately, she nibbled it, savoring the autumn- sweet taste that all fruits had when preserved by Maracia.  
  
Sensing a movement near her, the fox could see Maracia looking for her. "Where are those fruits? Amber, if you're behind this- where are you?"  
  
The hedgehog matriarch swiveled her head around, trying to catch sight of the fox. Finally she heard a small movement that sounded incredibly similar to a preserved damson being dropped and landing on a leaf. The fox cursed silently, and Maracia smiled grimly.  
  
"No point hiding now. Come out."  
  
She obeyed slowly, avoiding the hedgehog's stern gaze. "Amber," Maracia began.  
  
The fox winced inwardly. She hated her name. It sounded too nice, too cheery, too everything-that-she-was-not. But she had never been able to express this thought to Maracia, who had chosen the name.  
  
The hedgehog continued her lecture. "This isn't the first time you've tried to make off with something. Food, weapons- it doesn't matter. You don't have to be a thief. You shouldn't be one." Amber looked up at Maracia, who sighed and shook her head. "We'll discuss this later. Come."  
  
As they walked back to the dwelling in silence, Maracia wondered, //Have I done the right thing in adopting this vermin babe?// When she had first come opon Amber, she took the foxbabe in out of pity. Over the seasons, she had come to love the fox almost as the daughter she had never had.  
  
Maracia sighed and ran a hand over her face tenderly. The action made her wince. Long ago in her youth, her family had been attacked by a rabble of ferrets, and during the fight a pike had been gouged into her face. The ferret continued to beat Maracia with his blade until she was near death. Luckily, a squirrel nearby noticed the sounds of the skirmish, and had quickly jumped to the hedgehogs' aid. After the ferrets had been chased off, her family had managed to keep Maracia alive, but her cheek wound had become infected and never completely healed. Her gruesome appearance had kept her from finding a mate, and because of that she had never had any children of her own.  
  
Turning her attention back to the problem at hand, Maracia sat next to the stream runnig by her home and dangled her footpaws absentmindedly into the slow current. As Amber grew older, her vermin nature seemed to present itself more and more. At first it was just the odd scone. Maracia managed to ignore it, reminding herself that she in her youth had snitched scones from the windowsill as well, while her mind muttered to itself that she had only done that once or twice.  
  
Then it began to show up more and more frequently. Maracia didn't pay much attention to it until she noticed a dagger missing from her storage. She had found it underneath Amber's pillow. The lecture she had given the young fox hadn't changed the behavior. Things still went missing more and more, and although Maracia strived to teach Amber that it was wrong, nothing was helping. //Maybe I was wrong in taking her in,// she thought, moving her footpaws back and forth. //But what else could I do? I couldn't just abandon her. I'll just have to keep working at it.//  
  
She looked at her charge in a sideways glance. Amber was leaning against a tree, looking at the ground. Maracia was always intrigued by the foxmaid. She seemed a regular fox from first glance, but at a closer inspection one noticed the silver stands of fur stood out on Amber's otherwise brownish body, making her look much older than she actually was. Her eyes were ever- watching and as silent as her tread.  
  
Amber, meanwhile, was shuffling her paws back and forth. She really didn't like stealing, but it was an impulse, something she couldn't seem to control. This morning, when she had noticed the bag of preserved fruits, Amber hadn't even thought; she'd just grabbed it and snuck away.  
  
She now looked down at her paws, inspecting them critically. //I'm different from Maracia, I know that, but why do I have to be so different?// Amber thought. She looked back up as Maracia approached her.  
  
"I don't really know what I can say to you that will make a difference," she began. "Amber, you know that I care for you very much, but this is very much out of hand. Please try to fix this before it becomes a serious problem."  
  
//If only you knew,// thought Amber as the hedgehog went inside the dwelling. But Amber didn't know all of it either. She had no idea that her urges were her vermin side trying to gain control of herself and her actions. But then there was the other side, gained by growing up with a non-vermin. Amber stood up desicively. //From now on I'll try to keep my paws to myself, for my sake and Maracia's.//  
  
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Thanks to Keita for reviewing Chapter 1. 


	3. At the Redwall Welcoming Feast

Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
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Although the great feast was somewhat slackening, loud cheers and noisy entertainment were heard still from Cavern Hole. Song smiled a little to herself, a sad smile as she made her way up to the Great Hall, somehow managing to make it by without being heartily congratulated and led back to the feast, or stopped and been forced to engage in a long conversation. She had had enough of both already for one day.  
  
Song wasn't really paying attention to where she was going; she was just trying to get away from all the commotion. As the new Abbess of Redwall, her absense would not go unnoticed for long, and she knew that it wouldn't be long before a large party of mainly drunken Redwallers would lead her back to the festivities.  
  
The young squirrelmaid sighed and rested for a moment in the Infirmary, leaning her arms against a window. "Redwallers," she thought aloud, with a tiny scoff in her voice. "They're a nice enough lot, but too laid-back. Once we returned from the quest, I was just going to go off and explore. Now that I'm the Abbess, I guess that won't be happening." Song looked out of the window; the orchard was filled with trees that were in perfect bloom, and fruit hung off of its branchs threatening to drop. Despite the idyllic sight, Song's demeanor was that of gloom. "Do I really want to be Abbess of this abbey?" she whispered softly to herself.  
  
She turned and saw a figure standing in the doorway. Dannflor, the newly- appointed Champion of Redwall, walked in, his face set in an expression oddly similar to the one Song was wearing now. The sword of Martin the Warrior was slung on his back, only there for the purpose of looking the part as the Champion. He reached the window and stood next to her, facing the orchard. "Well, great Mother Abbess Songbreeze, why aren't you down at the feast? Your people have noticed your absense."  
  
Song snorted impatiently. "Shut up with the 'great Mother Abbess', you know perfectly well that I didn't want this job in the first place. They've already started looking for me?" She swore rather loudly and stamped her foot petulantly. "I'd hoped for a little more time by myself. I doubt I'll be getting much in the months to come. And why are you grinning like a dolt?" she snapped, as she turned a furious glare at Dann, who indeed had a small smile peeking out of the corners of his mouth.  
  
"Well, if you don't want to be found, come on," he said, already turning for the door.  
  
"Where are we going?" Song asked, already following him.  
  
"The bell tower," Dann replied. "No one will think to look for you there for a while at least, and when they figure it out, it'll still take them a while to climb the stairs."  
  
The new Abbess shrugged. "I suppose it's as good a hiding place as any."  
  
They reached the tower and began to climb up its walls. As squirrels they were able to get to the top of the tower without having to use the long stairway, though it did require a bit of nerve. After several minutes of exertion, Dann reached the top first, looking to make sure that no Redwallers were currently there, though why they would be he didn't know. He reached back down to mockingly offer a hand to Song, who was directly below him. The latter snorted again. "I can climb this wall as well as you without assistence," Song said as she pulled herself up.  
  
Dann grinned. "Just being courteous to my Abbess."  
  
"Oh, be quiet," Song replied, though she could not hide a smile forming on her features. She jumped from the railing to a sitting position on the floor. Dann followed suit. The two made themselves comfortable on the cold stone.  
  
"So are you happy about being the Abbey's new champion?" Song asked quietly as she stroked her bushy tail absentmindedly.  
  
Dann shrugged. "I was just plannning on leaving the Abbey as soon as we came back; go exploring, find trouble." A small, wry smile swept his features. "But I suppose being Champion won't be all that bad. I'll still be able to fight plenty."  
  
A sigh escaped Song, her long eyelashes fluttering when she blinked.. "If only I could too. Now that I'm Abbess, no one's going to want me to be involved in any trouble like that. I won't be able to do anything fun." She pouted.  
  
The Champion pulled himself upright. Song looked at him. Dann had changed much since he had first arrived at Redwall. No longer a young, carefree barely-out-of-Dibbunhood type of creature, he had grown broader and taller. A stern, kindly look had begun as common practice on his face, though at the moment it was filled with mischief. "I," he announced, "have an idea."  
  
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Thanks to jeffo and Skippy for reviewing Chapter 2. 


	4. An Idea Goes Bust

Disclaimer: I don't own Redwall, blah blah blah, and all that jazz. Okay, I'm super excited and impatient to get this up, so on with the show!!  
  
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Song's look suddenly began to fill with interest.  
  
"Let's go on a borderline journey. Just to make sure that no vermin's about to make trouble for the Abbey. Just a season-long trek- we could take Dipp with us- er, I mean Log-a-Log now- but still! Wouldn't that be grand?"  
  
"Yes it would," Song answered in deep thought, "but how am I supposed to get away from the Abbey without being noticed?"  
  
"Song, they wouldn't have made you the ruler of this place if they didn't think you were an adult now. If you're an adult, you can be allowed to make your own decisions now."  
  
The young Abbess stood up decisevly. "You're right. Let's find Log-a-Log and see what he thinks."  
  
The two friends went back to the feast and, pushing their way through the throng of Redwallers clamoring over their return, found the new Log-a-Log rather drunken on Redwall's finest October Ale.  
  
"I tell yer matey," he slurred in a wobbly voice, "great stuff this is." He held up an overflowing cup. "Cheers to the Abb-" he started and then belched loudly, spilling the drink all over his front.  
  
With exasperation the two squirrels dragged him out of Cavern Hole and into fresh air, all the while tuning out Log-a-Log's complaints about being pulled from his Ale. After sitting outside for a few moments, however, he seemed to have recovered somewhat.  
  
As Song and Dann took turns informing him of their plan, Log-a-Log seemed to think it was a good idea. "That's sensible, mates. Wouldn't do no harm."  
  
"All right then," Song said firmly. "Let's start out now."  
  
"Now?" Dann gaped at her.  
  
"Why not? It won't be noticed for a while, and we might as well get a good head start." Song was already heading for the now-empty kitchens. Dann and Log-a-Log followed her bemusedly.  
  
While Song scribbled a hasty note, the other two filled three bags with any provisions at hand. She placed the note on the main counter, and, grabbing their bags, the three exited the Abbey through the north side door.  
  
Dann led the trek, turning to the others and smiling. "Let's head!"  
  
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Two hours later the three were slightly discouraged; a heavy rain had started to fall and they realized that there was no way they could continue. "We'll have to head back," Dann grumbled as he slashed at some dry wood that was growing damper by the second.  
  
"We can't head back!" Song protested. "We haven't even started yet!!"  
  
"I have to agree wit' Dann here," Log-a-Log said wearily.  
  
A lightning bolt struck ground near them; the three jumped with shock. "On second thought, maybe heading back is a good idea," Song squeaked.  
  
"Well, NOW we can't," Dann growled. "We'll have to make a temporary shelter."  
  
The three of them dragged some fallen branches and made them into an overhang, and the three of them crouched miserably underneath it.  
  
"This is a fine adventure and no mistake," Dann said angrily as raindrops fell on his back. "This was a stupid idea."  
  
"Don't beat yerself up," Log-a-Log told him. "Personally, I think 'tis a very good idea; it just wasn't made in the best of conditions."  
  
"We'll set one up later on, once the summer becomes dry," Song said. "But since we're stuck here, we might as well relax."  
  
"And eat."  
  
"You've been stuffing your belly for three hours strait, Mr. Log-a-Log!" Dann remarked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "You've got t'watch your portly figure- what would the Guosim say if they found out their leader was a chubby liddle toad?"  
  
Chuckling, Log-a-Log threw a dried plum at Dann, who merely caught it in his mouth. Song laughed merrily even though she was wet and cold; it seemed so much like good times. Those times...  
  
"Song, are you okay?"  
  
Song noticed that Log-a-Log and Dann had stopped their playful banter and were looking with concern at her. The squirrelmaid looked back at them and sighed. "Things are changing," she replied. "This isn't going to last."  
  
"What do you mean?" Dann asked, obviously confused. But Song didn't reply, she was looking at something else. Dann's eyes followed her line of sight, and he saw that she was looking at a rustling bush nearby. A sudden bolt of lightning struck again, and thunder rumbled heavily, blotting out most sound. But Dann could hear, as though from very far away, a shrill scream.  
  
The three lept up immediately, and several cloaked figures ran from the bush. Log-a-Log and Dann were immediately in pursuit. Song lingered behind and cautiously peeked into the bush. Lying beneath it were two prone figures, cuddling together as much as possible to keep warm. Rain plattered onto a wound one had on its head that was bleeding profusely. Mousebabes.  
  
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YAY!! I finished Chapter 4!! So sorry about the lack of updates, I had a severe case of writer's block. Updates will come more frequently, I promise!  
  
Oh! and thanks to Starose, Keita, clara200, technetium, Stephanie, Moonflicker Swiftswimmer, and Winds of Change for reviewing Chapter 3. 


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